


A Royal Conspiracy

by serenbach



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Age Difference, F/M, Matchmaking, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-16
Updated: 2014-08-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 08:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2143953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenbach/pseuds/serenbach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the war, Ashe and Larsa are facing problems. Not only is there a faction in his court that is determined to re-start the war between them, they are both concerned about their friends. Basch is chafing under the weight of an identity not his own. Penelo is tired of aimless wandering and is looking for a purpose for her life.</p><p>The fact that they are both obviously pining for each other doesn't help things, either.</p><p>However, there might be a way to fix all their problems...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lesca Fenix (lescafenix)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lescafenix/gifts).



> Penelo is twenty in this fic but if you think you will find the large age gap troubling or upsetting, best to click the back button now.

_From the personal correspondence of His Imperial Majesty Larsa Ferrinas Solidor:_

_To Her Esteemed Majesty,_

_Greetings from Archadia! I hope all is well with you in Dalmasca and the recovery of your kingdom continues apace. I am writing to assure you that any rumours you have heard about Archadia wishing to reclaim territory that we surrendered in our peace treaties with you are false. Some of the nobles here are making demands, but it is me they are testing, not you. They see a young emperor; a child, someone they believe will bow down to their demands, no matter how ridiculous. I continue to prove them wrong, much to their frustration._

_If you could spare a member of your court to speak for Dalmasca, to have a physical and present reminder of our treaty, it may help to calm my people and reassure yours. Do you know someone who would be willing to spend some time in Archades? They would be treated as an honoured guest, I assure you._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, Emperor_

_p.s. Our mutual friend Gabranth sends his regards, though I fear he would rather give them in person. He misses Rabanastre more than he admits._

_\---_

_To His Imperial Majesty, greetings,_

_It is always good to hear from an old friend and ally. Indeed your letter reassured me that our alliance still holds strong. I did not doubt your friendship, but I know the pressures of being seen as a young and inexperienced ruler. I am no longer the biddable princess that my father’s councilmen remember, and I think some of them resent that fact. Regardless, it was good to read the words written in your own hand._

_Your suggestion is an excellent one, and I know the perfect person to send as Dalmasca’s ambassador. I am sure that she will consent to the trip. She often complains that she has few chances to meet with old friends._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca_

_p.s. Please give my warmest greetings to Gabranth, and tell him that I am sending him a ray of sunshine from Rabanastre._

\---

Ashe always enjoyed Penelo’s reaction to seeing inside the palace of Rabanastre. It was not quite as wide-eyed as the first time she had seen it, but there was still genuine enjoyment and wonder in her face as she looked around her. And unlike when Vaan or Balthier were her guests, she did not have to keep an eye on the more easily pocketable valuables. Penelo was always very polite, for a sky pirate.

(Not that Ashe really objected to a little petty theft between friends. She owed them far more than they would ever take.)

It was pleasant just to be able to sip iced tea with a friend and enjoy the sunshine, even if she did have a favour to ask. She regretted that she did not often have the time to do so, especially as Penelo was so frequently travelling with Vaan. Speaking of which. “You didn’t feel like going with Vaan this time?” She asked Penelo, genuinely concerned. Her friend had been looking a little sombre, recently. 

Penelo bit her lip and shook her head. “Migelo needed me,” she said, then hesitated. “And… well, I was thinking… do you ever miss the days when we all travelled together?”

“Yes,” Ashe replied, honestly and without hesitation. Even though she had reclaimed her kingdom, and even though those days had been filled with danger and driven by anger, they also contained some of her best memories, days of friendships of the like she had never truly known before.

“I do too,” Penelo said. “I miss… being part of something, I guess,” she explained. “I love being Vaan’s navigator, but sometimes it just feels… a little empty.” 

“In that case,” Ashe answered. “I have a proposition for you.”

“For me?” Penelo asked, both surprised and pleased.

“I have recently been in contact with Larsa,” Ashe began, and Penelo nodded. Sometimes she forgot that they were in regular contact with each other. “I assume you know then that some of his senators have been pushing for him to reclaim Dalmasca as Arcadian territory.”

“Yes, he’s mentioned it,” Penelo agreed, looking troubled for a moment. 

“He suggested – and I agree – that it would be in our best interest to send a representative to Archades to represent our interests as an ambassador. If you are willing, it would please me greatly if you would take on that role.”

“Me?” Penelo exclaimed. “But I am not a noble, or trained as a diplomat, or anything! I am just a dancer, and a pirate.”

“You are hardly _just_ anything,” Ashe said firmly, leaning forward in her seat. “You are a war hero, and a trusted friend of the Queen of Dalmasca and the Emperor of Archadia. There is no one I would rather have in this role.”

When Penelo still looked hesitant, Ashe played her trump card. “And I daresay Basch could do with the help. Looking after the Emperor is a full time job at the moment, and Larsa mentioned that he seemed a little under the weather.”

“He can’t be more trouble than you were,” Penelo teased, but she looked concerned, and Ashe knew that she would agree. “If you really think I can do it…”

“Penelo,” Ashe smiled. “I have every confidence in you. If it is alright with you, you will leave in two days. I will have a wardrobe fitted for you, and we will have a few more briefings before you go. I would not send you to Archades unprepared.”

Penelo nodded her agreement, and Ashe took a moment to regret that a queen sometimes had to use even her closest friends for in the game of politics. But, she reminded herself, it was for the good of Dalmasca and Archadia.

And, if her long-held suspicions were correct, it was for the good of Penelo and Basch themselves, too.


	2. Chapter 2

_When Basch had first noticed the way his feelings had first changed, he told himself, quite firmly, to ignore it._

_Just because she had been the first person to treat him kindly in years. The first one to accept his innocence without question. The first one to tease him like a friend in longer than he could honestly remember. It didn't matter. He truly admired her, he couldn’t help it. Living in an occupied city, losing all her brothers to the war, it could have so easily turned her hard and brittle. But she stayed hopeful, and helped him to hope once more – something he had long forgotten. But he didn't realise how much she meant to him until they no longer saw each other each day._

_So he pushed away the memories of her dancing in the firelight, ignored the way their quickenings had chained so effortlessly together, and the way his heart pounded whenever he received a letter from her._

_She had her whole life ahead of her, and she deserved far better than an old soldier, broken and scarred in more ways than just the visible ones. But if he held on to the memory of her fervent farewell hug before he slipped on the Magister’s helm and became Gabranth instead of Basch, well, that was nobody’s business but his own._

\--- 

Basch couldn’t help the nerves in his stomach as he watched the Dalmascan airship pull in towards the aerodrome. He had mixed feelings about seeing the newest ambassador to the Arcadian court for the first time in so long.

He was pleased, of course, as Penelo above everything else was a true friend and comrade. Larsa was also excited to see her again, and anything that made his usually too-serious young charge happy was certainly a good thing.

But Archades wasn’t safe for her at the moment. There were definite anti-Dalmascan sentiments among the nobility, and he hated the thought of her being exposed to that, though he, of all people, knew that she was more than capable of handling herself.

And when she appeared in the doorway of the formal receiving room, even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her, her hair longer and spilling loosely over her shoulders, her formal dress exposing her stomach in the Dalmascan fashion (and which Basch dragged his eyes away from hurriedly) he knew that all those hidden feelings that he could barely acknowledge to himself had not gone away and felt a curious and numbing sense of despair.

It was much easier to pretend that he was not hopelessly and unrequitedly in love with his friend when she was living hundreds of miles from him and their only interactions were through occasional letters (which Basch kept securely hidden and locked away, and not only for security reasons – some of her letters used his real name – but because they were precious to him).

Penelo bowed, firstly to Larsa, then to him, perfectly correct. Clearly the Lady Ashe had made sure she’d had some coaching before sending her. No training, however, could disguise her open pleasure at seeing her friends again. 

“Lady Penelo,” Larsa said warmly. “Welcome to Archades.” He held out his arm for her to take and escorted her to his private quarters, Basch two steps behind. 

As soon as the door was closed and they were alone, Penelo hugged Larsa gleefully. “Look how tall you are!” she exclaimed, and Larsa blushed. He had inherited the Solidor height and was springing up like a weed, much to the dismay of all his tailors. 

“Gabranth,” Penelo said, turning to him with a warm smile that hurt him, somehow. She hugged him too, lingering for just a moment. He put his gauntleted hand on her back, careful not to catch the dress on the edges of his armour before tugging off his helm as they parted. 

“Basch,” he said, his voice rougher than he would like. “In here, with the door closed, I am Basch.”

“Good,” Penelo replied, her voice approving. “I’m glad.”

Keeping his face still was the hardest thing he had ever done.

\---

It shouldn’t have surprised him that Penelo made a good ambassador. She was approachable and friendly, able to make even the most stuffy of traditionalists smile despite themselves. She could speak eloquently of Dalmasca’s gratitude to Archadia without making concrete promises and having the clear favour of the Emperor didn’t hurt her standing in the court, either.

But when she was not undertaking her official duties, or spending time with Larsa, she often accompanied him on his patrols of the palace and the city.

“How do you like it here?” she asked him once.

“Well enough,” he replied. “Though it is not always easy protecting Larsa at the moment. There have been some threats to his life.”

Penelo’s eyes narrowed, and Basch felt a moment of profound gratitude for the fact that someone else would watch out for Larsa, not through duty, but for affection.

“That’s not exactly what I meant though,” Penelo continued. “Are you happy here?”

He opened his mouth to say yes, of course, but instead found himself saying, “My duty is here, and there is no one else I would entrust it to… but it sometimes difficult to remember to answer to a name that is not mine.”

Penelo squeezed his armoured arm. “You’ve been lonely,” Penelo said softly. 

He opened his mouth to deny it, but found that he couldn’t. As fond as he was of Larsa; hiding his identity, fearing to get close to the other Judges in case they noticed any discrepancies was wearing on him. He had grown used to the companionship of their little group and the hard-won friendships he had found with them. “Perhaps,” he acknowledged quietly. 

“Well, I’m here now, for a good long while,” Penelo assured him and he couldn’t help but smile, even as a pang of longing passed through him, only to be dismissed. She couldn't mean what he would like her to, no matter the way she looked at him when she didn't think he was paying attention.

\---

_From the personal correspondence of His Imperial Majesty Larsa Ferrinas Solidor:_

_To Her Esteemed Majesty,_

_I am writing to compliment you on your choice of ambassador. She is quick witted and charming, able to turn the arguments of the pro-war factions back on themselves with grace and humour, and thereby avoiding offence. It is also a pleasure to be able to host a good friend for so long._

_Her presence is also cheering for a certain Judge we both know and care about. They have been spending quite a lot of time together. How would you feel about making her post a permanent one?_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, Emperor_

_\---_

_To His Imperial Majesty, greetings,_

_I am glad that you approve of my choice of ambassador. I had every confidence that she would, and will continue to, do Dalmasca proud. I value the peace and co-operation between our nations highly and will support my ambassador as she does her part to maintain the relationship between us._

_I take it our suspicions were correct, then? I would not be opposed to a permanent tie between our countries – the marriage between a Judge and a diplomat would be nothing but beneficial for us both. Let us not be too hasty in our plans, however. It has taken us two years to get them to this point._

_Keep me informed of any developments, if you would,_

_Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca_


	3. Chapter 3

_When Penelo had first noticed the way her feelings had changed, she told herself, quite firmly, to ignore it._

_He was a knight, after all, and she was nothing but a dancer from the streets who had somehow got caught up in an adventure that was far over her head._

_It didn’t matter that he treated her as respectfully as he did Ashe, who was a queen, or Fran, who was powerful and wise. It didn’t matter that he made gruff, awkward jokes purely to try and make her smile. It didn’t matter that he went out of his way to comfort her if she woke shivering from a nightmare about losing her brothers, or Vaan, or any of her newfound friends._

_She truly admired him, she couldn’t help it. Two years in a horrible prison could have destroyed anyone else, broken them and left them twisted, but he came out of it as brave and true as ever._

_She must have looked like nothing else but a child to him. So she tried not to watch the flexing of his muscles as he practiced with his weapon in their camp each morning, and to ignore the way the slow, unsure smile he gave her whenever she teased him made something within her light on fire. She tried to ignore the way that fighting alongside him felt as easy and natural as dancing did._

_And if she could sometimes still feel the warmth of his hands on her shoulders, where he had carefully squeezed them as he said goodbye before leaving with Larsa, well, she wasn’t foolish enough to tell anyone._

\---  
Before Penelo knew it, she had been in Archades for three months. In that time she had attended eight state banquets, several afternoon teas with various noblewomen who had determined to take her under their wings, private meals with Larsa at least three times a week, and one unexpectedly energetic party when Vaan, Balthier and Fran turned up to surprise her with a visit.

And she was happy, happier than she had been for a long time. She loved the freedom of being a sky pirate, but her role as ambassador, actively making a difference; soothed something inside her that she hadn’t been aware was hurting. 

Since arriving in Archades she had also spent a significant amount of time with Basch (and she was getting better at remembering when to call him Basch and when to call him Gabranth) and she could slowly feel things changing between them.

Penelo was a tactile person, always had been, and it showed in her friendships. She and Vaan curled up together like puppies, had done since they were children. Fran had taken it upon herself to do her hair every evening and Ashe had grown more comfortable with shoulder pats and one-armed hugs. Balthier often kissed her hand and played at flirting even if she swatted at him. Even she had Larsa had sat closely together, shoulders touching comfortably in front of the campfire.

But outside of the occasional supportive hand in battle, Basch had hardly ever touched her.

But since she had come to Archades, Basch had started taking her arm when they went for walks together, or putting his hand on her back to escort her places. They also spoke together on these walks, talking about things that were insignificant and extremely important at the same time. 

Sometimes, if Basch happened not to be wearing his helm, she would catch him looking at her in a way that made her skin prickle, and would make her think maybe, but it never lasted more than a split second and she did not know entirely what to make of it, but she was becoming more and more sure that he felt the same way as her.

She just wasn’t sure what to do about it. 

\---

Basch had told her that there were threats to Larsa’s life, but she hadn’t truly believed it until one of the dancers at a banquet threw a knife directly at him. If it wasn’t for how closely she had followed the routine, she would have never suspected, but she saw the tiny misstep, the glint of metal in his hand, and managed to cast a protect spell on Larsa just in time, slowing the momentum of the knife and rendering it mostly harmless as it tangled in his elaborate shirt without breaking the skin.

Basch – Gabranth – was there in an instant, protecting Larsa, ushering him out of the room as chaos broke out. Penelo picked up a mace from a soldier who had fallen in an attempt to detain the dance troop and followed them out. 

They hadn’t got far; Larsa had paused just around the corner, arguing with Basch.

“What are you two doing?” Penelo demanded. “There could be more of them!”

“Penelo!” Larsa exclaimed, echoed more quietly by Basch.

“Move now!” Basch said, and Penelo realised that Larsa had not wanted to leave her behind. She rolled her eyes at him, although she couldn’t deny she felt pleased at that, and followed them to a secure room.

After that, the evening was almost boring. She and Larsa played chess (he beat her every time) as Basch paced and guarded the door until the all clear was sounded. Basch escorted them both out them, checking Larsa’s room before leaving him with a guard. He hugged her tightly goodbye, whispering “thank you,” as she left.

Basch seemed tightly on edge as he insisted escorting her to her room. “I…” he cleared his throat. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t need to,” she assured him, but he wasn’t listening. 

“You saved his life, and I _left_ you there,” he said, sounding ragged and torn. “I swear, I didn’t want to, but…”

“Larsa is more important, I understand, truly,”

“No,” Basch said. He wasn’t wearing his helm, and she could see the indecision in his face and the intense way he was staring at her. “Not more important. Just…”

“The Emperor?” Penelo asked, and Basch nodded. 

“If anything had happened to you…” 

“But it didn’t. Everything is just fine, B- Gabranth.”

They had reached her door and for one moment Penelo really believed that he was going to kiss her. Instead he bowed his head to her deeply, and said, “Good night, my lady.”

“Good night,” she replied softly, before she opened the door.

She was so caught up in trying to work out what all of that had meant that she almost didn’t notice the assassin in her rooms.

Luckily, she was still carrying the mace, and even though it had been a while since she had used one, her body moved automatically and without thinking.

Her startled yelp must have echoed down the corridor though, because Basch came crashing through her door, sword drawn, before the assassin had even hit the floor.

“Penelo,” he exclaimed, clutching her around the waist and pulling her behind him.

“I’m alright,” she assured him. “It was just that one.”

His jaw was tight. “I’ll find you somewhere else to sleep tonight.”

It wasn’t until they arrived at her temporary accommodation that she noticed two things. Firstly, Basch’s hand was trembling. Secondly, that hand was still around her waist.

“Basch?” she asked, and he ducked his head to look at her, and his expression was so soft, and yearning, and frightened for her, all at once, that without entirely thinking it through, she stood on her toes and kissed him.

He kissed her back, frantic and hungry for a few perfect seconds, before he pulled away. “I can’t,” he stammered, but Penelo found herself smiling, unembarrassed, and unafraid. “I’m too old, and-”

“I love you,” she said earnestly. “And you are not too old, or anything else. The only reason I wouldn’t want you kissing me is if you don’t feel the same.”

“Of course I feel the same,” he whispered. “But-” 

Penelo sighed and kissed him again. That time he seemed to believe her.

\---

_From the personal correspondence of His Imperial Majesty Larsa Ferrinas Solidor:_

_To Her Esteemed Majesty,_

_Well, it seems our plan has worked perfectly. The warmongers among my council have been swayed or imprisoned and our friends have finally stopped pining and have admitted how they feel for each other. What was that you were saying about a wedding?_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, Emperor_

_\---  
To His Imperial Majesty, greetings,_

_I am most glad to hear that both you had my ambassador escaped unscathed from those assassins, and even more pleased to realise that our friends have found happiness with each other._

_A wedding sounds like a good idea indeed. Try and encourage them to set a date quickly. I don’t think any of us would want to wait another two years!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't help but think that Ashe wouldn't exactly be opposed to an arranged marriage, seeing how happy she was for a short while with Rasler. Larsa was probably raised with similar expectations, although they are not crass enough to actually arrange the marriage, they are not above pushing them together and seeing what happens.
> 
> I am no good at love triangles, so in this Larsa is a good friend who knows his crush is in love with his friend and wants them both to be happy. 
> 
> Also, I always equipped Penelo with a mace because 1) it dealt damage based on the magic not strength stat so it was quite a good weapon for Penelo and 2) she is adorable when she spins around and hits things with it.
> 
> This is set two years after RW so Penelo is twenty. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed anyway! I had forgotten how much I love FXII. If only my PS2 hadn't died ages ago...


End file.
